Let Her Go
by LaVita-e-Dolce
Summary: "Love comes slow and it goes so fast.. You see her when you fall asleep, but never to touch and never to keep. Well you only need the light when it's burning low, only miss the sun when it starts to snow, only know you love her when you let her go." / Song: "Let Her Go" by Passenger / A story of hesitation, hidden feelings, missed connections and eventual happiness.
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer**_**: I own nothing.**

**First things first, I apologize in advance as this story starts off **_**very**_** slow. I'll pick up the pace soon, I promise. **

**Second, listen to the song if you haven't already ("Let Her Go" by Passenger). When you hear it, you'll understand why I felt the need to write a fanfic based on it.**

**Last but not least, Enjoy. ;)**

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**_PROLOGUE_**

**EPOV**

'_Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all_. I'm sorry Alfred Lord Tennyson, but I dare to disagree. I often wish that I had never loved at all, because then I wouldn't have to remember her. Her delicious strawberry scent, her sweet kisses, her beautiful smile, those deep, thoughtful brown eyes- none of it.

Yes, forgetting about her would be preferable. To have never met her? Even better.

At least, that's what I've been trying to tell myself.

Ever fall in love with someone and wish that you never met them, but at the same time you wish you could meet them all over again and get to know them even better? I know it sounds confusing, but that's exactly how I feel about her.

There was a time when there was nobody but us- Edward and Bella. A time when I would give anything just to see her. When she was the only thing on my mind. A time when she was the only thing that kept me grounded. When her touch healed all wounds, and her kiss could make me forget time and space.

And what did I give it all up for?

The funny thing is; all those things still mean something to me. It's just hard when I think about her now, knowing that she's gone because I screwed up. She's probably far away, starting a new chapter in life without even a single thought about the town that she left behind, of the people. Of _me_.

And who could blame her? No one.

The fault is mine. I see it in people's eyes when they look at me; I see it in the sadness of Alice's, in the pity of Emmett's and Jasper's, in the hate of Rosalie's.

I want to reason with them that it was just high school. That I was just a confused teenager who wanted everything but couldn't appreciate anything. That I was blind and foolish, and couldn't tell a girl that I loved her because I was afraid. To admit your love for someone is like giving them full power over you, and I couldn't handle that. I wish I told her the second that I got to know her. _Bella, I love you._

Instead, I let her go like it was nothing. I didn't tell her how I felt about her. She asked me if I could give her a reason to stay and I stood there silently, as if I didn't have a voice. _As if I _didn't_ love her. _

She stood in front of me with tears in her eyes, calling me a coward; and I couldn't deny it. I just held onto her, wishing that I could find those magical words within myself, the words that would make her stay. But she fought me, telling me to let her go, telling me that she never wanted to see me again.

So I let her go; only realizing how much I loved her when she was gone.

~.x.~

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**Reviewing is completely up to you! I'd love to know what you thought. Just putting it out there, haha.**

**Until next time,**

**Natasha. :)**


	2. Chapter 1

_****__**Disclaimer**_**: I own nothing.**

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_**CHAPTER ONE**_

**BPOV **

Walking unhappily through the halls of my high school, timetable clutched tightly in one hand and my books in the other, I couldn't help but wish for another month of summer.

I'd spent the summer in sunny Arizona with my mother, Renee. Oh how I missed the dry, barren land and the occasional cactus. I missed feeling the sun's rays soak into my skin. I missed my harebrained mother even more.

Although she had left Charlie when I was four and divorced him soon after, I still loved her. I knew that Forks had been like a storm cloud (literally) shadowing over her charisma and naturally cheery persona, and that she had been suffering here with Charlie. I was glad that their divorce was amicable, and that she was still a part of my life.

Anyways, the summer consisted of my mother and I hanging out on the front porch of her house, relaxing on the comfortable cushioning of the wicker chaise lounges, sipping iced teas and soaking up the sun until nightfall. Most days we'd talk about random things, getting up to speed on each other's lives. On other days we'd sit, drink and relax in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

Someone bumped into my shoulder sharply, causing my books to fall to the floor, and reminding me that I was no longer in sunny Phoenix, Arizona with no company but my mother. _Nope_. Now I was back in Forks High School, conveniently placed in one of the rainiest towns in the entire United States of America. And I was surrounded by teenagers that I have known almost my entire life.

"Hey man! How's it going? You ready for senior football tryouts?" I rolled my eyes as I overheard the conversation of one of the Neanderthals in my grade. Of course the boys were excited that football season was starting up again. They were looking for another shot at popularity- their final one actually, since it was our senior year.

I finally remembered that my books were on the floor when Edward Cullen- Forks High's most popular and attractive senior (let alone one of the handsomest guys in all of America)- tapped me on the arm.

Whether it was his angular, defined features, his incredible jawline or his sexy athletic body, something about him attracted all kinds of girls (and most likely some males, too). Even _I_ accepted that he was attractive, but that's where I drew the line; his personality seemed to be a whole other thing. And I knew better than to get mixed up with someone like him.

When Edward moved to Forks at the beginning of high school, he instantly became _golden_. He was hot, athletic and had a way with words. Not to mention, he was new and mysterious (as everyone here already knew each other).

He eventually became one of those really well known guys who always made the football team and hung around the cheerleaders. He was notorious for dating many girls, though he never stuck with any of them for a very long time. I didn't know him well enough to know whether or not he was smart, so I assumed that he'd taken enough tackles to dumb down his brain.

Well, wherever he had gone for the summer, the sun had treated him well; giving his smooth skin an attractive glow and adding highlights to his messy bronze hair. As our eyes met, I noticed the golden flecks in his irises were more pronounced, standing out against the green. My eyes traveled to his smooth, soft-looking lips that were moving in speech, but I was in too much of a daze to really catch what he had said.

"Sorry?" I asked, slightly shaking my head as to clear it.

Edward smirked. "I was asking if you're alright. I knocked into your shoulder pretty hard." He said, his velvety voice music to my ears.

I was pretty shocked. In all of the years that I had known him, he'd never really spoken to me. Or at least, _I_ hadn't spoken to _him_. Granted, we had only had a few classes together. But this was one of the first times that we'd actually made direct contact.

"I'm fine." I muttered, blushing. I bent my knees and picked up my books, glad that there were only a few.

Edward spotted my timetable in my other hand and gently took it from me, examining it. My heart skipped a beat. "Hey, it looks as though we have Biology II with Banner together."

_Wonderful_, I thought sarcastically. I forced a quick smile and took the sheet back. "Great." I replied monotonously. I didn't mean to seem cold, but he was intimidating and very good looking, and I had no clue what to do with myself.

Edward wasn't fazed by my awkwardness. Instead, he smiled at me. Ah, his signature crooked smile, famous for making girls go weak in the knees and derailing trains of thoughts. I couldn't prevent the butterflies from fluttering around in my stomach. "Well, I hope you'll save me a seat."

"Right." I muttered back, wondering why he was still standing there talking to me. I hoped he didn't really want me to save him a seat, because I didn't know if my poor heart could stand a full hour in close proximity to Edward _every day_.

"See you after lunch, Bella." He said, winking at me before heading in the direction of his friends. All I could think of was that he winked. Winked. _There goes my heart_, I thought, rolling my eyes. My teenage hormones knew a hot guy when they sensed one.

I looked around to see if anyone had caught our brief exchange but everyone was in their own worlds, catching up with their friends over summer gossip and stories. I continued to meander through the halls aimlessly.

The bell rang shrilly, signalling that I had to get to building 3 for first period English with Mr. Berty.

"How was _your_ summer, Bella?" Lauren Mallory asked from behind me, her nasally voice sounding not at all interested.

Knowing that she was just trying to mock me, I simply shrugged and made my way to the back of the class.

_Today is going to be a long day_, I thought, exhaling deeply as I sat down.

~.x.~

"Bella! Bella, wait up a sec!" An all-too-familiar voice called out from behind me.

I braced myself and turned around to see Mike Newton's blonde hair and blue eyes as he bobbed throughout the crowd in between us. I waited patiently as he caught up to me, out of breath.

Mike was another senior footballer, but he didn't really hang out with Edward's crowd. He was cute (in an overly affectionate golden retriever kind of way, if you asked me), and quite a few girls in our grade liked him. He had moved to Forks when we were in grade 5. I worked part-time at his parent's store, Newton's Olympic Outfitters, so I knew him and his family pretty well.

"You walk really fast." He said, grinning at me.

I smiled grimly. "That way I can avoid the lunch rush." I informed him, sighing as the crowd passed us. That meant I was going to be waiting at the lunch line for a while.

"Oh." He looked at me apologetically. "I was just wondering if you wanted to sit with me and my friends at lunch."

Another shocker. Mike and I weren't exactly friends, despite the fact that I knew him well. I usually ate lunch in the cafeteria by myself and then went to the library to read as soon as I was done. Mike knew that.

"I know you have your routine and all, but I just thought maybe you could change things up a little." He explained, smiling hopefully.

"I don't know, Mike." I said, biting my lip nervously. I didn't usually hang out with the people in my grade. They all had their little cliques and best friends, and I was a bit of an outsider even though we all basically knew each other to a T.

"Come on, just try it out today. If you don't like us," He grinned. "You can go back to your routine."

I thought about it for a minute. The people Mike hung around were quite popular but pretty nice. Lauren Mallory sat with them, but if I stayed away from her, lunch could be harmless.

"Okay." I conceded, eyeing Mike uncertainly.

He smiled brightly. "Great."

As we walked together to the caf, Mike looked at me curiously. "Did you go anywhere this summer?" He asked.

He opened the door for me and I entered the caf. "Yeah, Arizona." I answered. "Why?"

"You look different." He stated. "I mean, _nice_ different. Your skin is more tan and I never noticed, but there's a little red in your hair." He said, smiling down at me.

I blushed. "Oh. Thanks." I replied as I joined the lunch line.

"I'll save you a seat." Mike promised as he made his way to the table where he usually sat with his friends. The caf tables could seat about 9 or 10 students. Mike's table normally had about 8. Well _9_ now.

I got pizza and a lemonade and sat in between Mike and a quiet girl named Angela Weber. Angela was really tall, with light brown hair and eyes. She was a really nice girl; I know she worked hard in school and she loved her younger brothers. Her father was a Lutheran minister who conducted most wedding ceremonies- if not all of them- in Forks.

Beside Angela was Ben Cheney. He was Asian, with black hair and dark brown eyes. He usually wore glasses. I could tell that he had a thing for Angela by the way he glanced over at her from time to time.

Beside Ben sat Austin Marks, who was Ben's best friend. Sitting beside Austin was tall, gangly and awkward Eric Yorkie. Conner Davis sat beside Eric. He was a sports-minded guy and another Forks High football player.

Lauren Mallory sat beside Conner, and boy did it look like she was enjoying herself. I watched in revulsion as she let out another high-pitched giggle at something Conner said, and tossed her silvery blonde hair over her shoulder. Lauren was, in simple words, a _bitch_. She was the only child of one of Forks' richest families, and she dated many guys. Lauren was content in aggravating me, and saw to it that my day was ruined whenever we crossed paths.

In between Lauren and Mike sat Jessica Stanley. Jessica had blue eyes and voluminous brown hair. She was outgoing, and much nicer than Lauren (who was her best friend). She had always been reserved but kind towards me. Jessica didn't date as much as Lauren, and it was evident that she was sporting a huge crush on Mike.

"So what do you think?" Mike asked after I had observed each person at the table.

I shrugged. "I don't know, they seem…" I searched for the word. "Nice?"

He laughed. "Is that a statement or a question?"

"Both, I guess." I replied, taking a swig of my lemonade.

Mike laughed again and turned to Jessica, who had been trying to get his attention for the past 5 minutes.

I ate and drank in silence before Angela spoke up beside me. "So how was your summer, Bella?" She asked politely. Unlike Lauren, Angela sounded genuinely interested.

"Really good," I answered. "I went to Phoenix, Arizona to visit my mom."

Angela smiled enviously. "Must have been nice to have all that sun."

I nodded and grinned. "It really was; much different than the constant gloom and doom of Forks. What about you? What did you do this summer?"

"I stayed here for the summer, but it wasn't too bad. There were quite a few good sunny days this year, thankfully." She answered.

I was about to reply but I was distracted by really loud cheering noises coming from the other side of the cafeteria. I looked over to where Edward and his huge group of friends sat. It looked as though two seniors were having some sort of eating competition.

Angela and I exchanged a look. "Have they always been this rowdy?" I asked her, repulsed. Since I'd been spending majority of the lunch period in the library for the past three years of high school, I'd never seen Edward's table in action.

I only knew that Edward _always_ sat with his two best friends quarterback Emmett McCarty and Texas-transfer Jasper Whitlock, and their girlfriends Rosalie Hale and Alice Brandon.

Emmett was big and burly, with curly dark brown hair, light blue eyes and dimples. He was always joking around, and his brashness was rather intimidating.

Jasper Whitlock was also on the football team with Emmett and Edward. He had a slight yet athletic build, honey-coloured hair and hazel eyes. Jasper transferred to Forks during sophomore year, and was reserved yet good-humoured.

Rosalie Hale was Emmett's girlfriend, and without a doubt _the_ most beautiful girl in Washington. She had deep blue eyes, long golden-blonde hair and the kind of body that Sport's Illustrated bikini models had. Rosalie was very reserved but not unfriendly.

Alice Brandon was Rosalie's best friend and Jasper's girlfriend. She was a tiny girl, with short, layered black hair and sparkling brown eyes. She was also extremely pretty, and always came to school looking runway-ready. I knew for a fact that she was energetic, bubbly and had the enthusiasm that Rosalie lacked.

Neither of the girls were on the cheerleading team, yet both had managed to snag two of the star players on the football team; a feat that was not easily achieved.

Tanya Denali, the captain of the cheerleading squad usually sat at the table as well, always beside Edward. She had curly strawberry-blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and a toned, athletic body. Edward was always said to be dating her, however the two of them had never publicly confirmed it. The latest rumour was that they were friends with benefits.

Other people who frequently flocked Edward's table were cheerleaders Katie Marshall and Samantha Wells, and footballers Lee Stephens and Tyler Crowley.

Tyler Crowley. He was tall and athletic, with brown hair and brown eyes. During sophomore year he had asked me to go to the homecoming dance with him but I lied and told him that I was going to be out of town. Ever since then, he had ignored my existence.

I was about to look away from their table when suddenly Edward turned and locked eyes with me. My heart sped up in my chest and my hands felt clammy. I don't know what it was, but I couldn't bring myself to look away from his beautiful green gaze.

He looked intrigued, curious even. I wondered what he was thinking. After a few seconds he looked away. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

The bell rang shortly, shaking me out of my Edward-induced reverie. I gathered my things and left the lunchroom without another word to Angela or Mike.

When I got to building 2 I sat in the back corner of the room; as far from the teacher's desk as possible. Contrary to popular belief, nerds do not always enjoy sitting at the front. The class filed in, gradually filling up the seats. Mike made his way to sit beside me, but luckily Eric Yorkie distracted him.

The last person to enter the classroom was Edward; who entered a few seconds before the bell. Without hesitating or even looking at the rest of the class, he made his way over to the empty seat beside me. I didn't get too excited however; it _was_ the last seat available. He flashed me a quick smile before he sat down.

"Good afternoon class, my name is Mr. Banner and I will be your Biology II teacher for the rest of the year. Most of you know me from last year, and to those who don't; I want to inform you that I am a no-nonsense kind of teacher." I doodled distractedly in my notebook as Mr. Banner went on about classroom rules and expectations.

"I want you to take a good look at the person sitting next to you, because they will be your lab partner for the rest of the year, no exceptions." He droned on. Dread spread throughout my body. I had to be partners with _Edward_ for the rest of the year?

I snuck a quick peek at Edward, who looked fine with that fact. Mike, however, _didn't_ and kept slipping longing looks at me.

Mr. Banner wrote down the supplies that we needed on the board and handed out Biology review sheets to help us remember what we had learned the previous year.

While I looked over my sheet, I leaned forward so that my hair swung forward and acted like a curtain between Edward and myself. Edward cleared his throat but I didn't look at him.

"I knew you'd save me a seat." He said casually, startling me.

I tucked my hair behind my ear and looked over at him, eyebrows slightly narrowed. Edward had a slight smirk on his face.

"I didn't. If you didn't notice, it was the only seat that wasn't occupied when you walked in." I replied, slightly affronted. Even if he asked me to, why would I have saved him a seat? I hardly spoke to the guy, and even though I knew he was attractive, he was much too intimidating for me to _want_ to sit beside him.

Edward's green eyes danced with amusement. "Because you told everyone this seat was reserved."

Blushing, I frowned crossly. "I did not."

"_Right_." He replied, crossing his arms and looking at me bemusedly.

I looked at him with incredulity. What an egotistical jerk! "And what makes you think that I'd want to sit with you? I hardly even know you and-"

"Relax. I'm just teasing you, Isabella." Edward interrupted my rage, grinning.

I rolled my eyes. "It's Bella." I muttered, turning to my sheet and thoroughly ignoring him.

After a moment he tapped his fingers on my paper. I ignored him. He cleared his throat. I ignored him. He poked me with his pen. I ignored him. Finally, he placed his hand on my arm lightly. The contact of our skin sent warm currents through my body, as if I had just been touched with an electric live wire. I tried not to flinch, and Edward took his hand away slowly.

"Sorry." He said, a sheepish grin on his beautiful face.

I sighed and shrugged. "It's whatever."

"You need to lighten up a little." He teased, nudging my knee with his own and making my heart skip a beat. I frowned.

"Gee, thanks." I muttered sarcastically.

Edward chuckled. "So are you joining any clubs this year? Trying out for any teams?" He asked.

I knew he was making polite conversation, but I couldn't help but wonder _why_? Why spend the past three years of high school hardly acknowledging my existence, and then suddenly talk to me as if we were friends?

I looked at him quizzically and shook my head. "Probably not. Especially not any teams since I'm a klutz and have terrible hand-eye coordination."

"Not even the cheerleading squad?"

"Definitely not." I replied with a shudder. Knowing me, I'd be the reason the squad falls and gets injured during the pyramid.

"Are you planning on even going to homecoming?" He sounded incredulous.

I smiled ashamedly, feeling guilty for I don't know what. "Not really, no." I murmured.

"Not your kind of thing, huh?" Edward asked, nodding understandingly.

I shrugged. _Not exactly_. "So are you joining the football team?" I inquired, though I already knew that he was.

He nodded. "Yup."

"Do you even need to try out?" I questioned. After all, he made the team every year.

Edward laughed. I loved it when he did. The sound was incredibly appealing. Not to mention, his eyes crinkled cutely and he had beautiful straight, white teeth. Everything about him was just unbelievably attractive. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you've made it every year, regardless." I answered.

He ran a hand through his beautiful, messy bronze mane. "I train every summer, you know. It's the hard work that pays off. Nothing ever comes easy." He replied, looking deeply into my eyes. In his case, I found that hard to believe.

I shrugged as the end of class bell rang. "Good luck, Edward." I bid him, gathering my things to head to gym class.

"Thanks, Bella." Edward replied. His green eyes sought mine as he smiled at me genuinely. My heart pounded almost painfully against my chest. We looked at each other for a few more seconds before he left the room.

I smiled as I walked in a daze towards the gym, forgetting that it was my absolute least favourite subject. I doubted anything could shake my good mood- and I owed it to Edward and his fantastic smile and captivating eyes.

_Careful Bella, you might actually be falling for his charms. _

~.x.~

**EPOV**

Finally, senior year at Forks High School. I never thought it would come so soon.

As I hopped out of my car, I gazed at the red brick school buildings and the surrounding area. Forks was the place where most of my memories had been made, and after this year I was going to be in completely different surroundings. I was almost sad to be leaving.

I stepped through the front doors of the main building, nodding at various classmates who said hello. The whole school was buzzing with the nostalgia of summer. Groups of friends were scattered here and there, catching up with each other. I knew most of them had spent their summer here in Forks, as hardly any families in this town could afford to go on vacation.

My father, Carlisle, had taken my mother, Esme, and myself on vacation to Turks and Caicos. After spending countless summers here in Forks, it was great to get away and see the sun for a little.

I spotted Emmett and Jasper a little ways down the hall, talking with Rosalie and Alice. Emmett had been with Rosalie since freshman year, and Jasper had gotten together with Alice after he transferred to Forks from Texas during sophomore year.

I personally couldn't understand the need to be with someone for such a long period of time; especially when we were at such a young age. Sure I'd been hooking up with Tanya Denali since sophomore year, but it was simply that- hooking up. I'd never taken her on a serious date, and she'd never complained about it. At this age, we were _supposed_ to have fun, not have long-term commitments to anyone. But Emmett and Jazz seemed happy, and Rosalie and Alice were great girls.

I approached the small group, donning my signature smirk. "I know how much you guys have missed me, but rest assured, I've returned for good." I said with my arms outstretched.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and laughed with Alice, while Jasper and Emmett grinned.

"Good to have you back, bro." Emmett boomed, slapping my back.

Jasper and I tapped fists. "We tried hard not to miss you." He said good-humouredly.

"So what have you guys been up to this summer? What have I missed?" I asked them interestedly.

A motion made me look up, and Austin Marks threw me a football from down the hall. I caught it deftly and threw it back with a smirk. "Sup Marks?"

"You ready for football season?" He replied as he passed by with the rest of the regular football crew who nodded and smiled respectfully at Emmett, Jasper and I.

I grinned confidently. "You know it."

The footballs guys were loud and raucous as they left, pushing and shoving each other, as usual.

"_Anyways_, you didn't miss much." Emmett replied. "Jazz and I trained for football, we hung out with the girls, and Mike Newton threw his annual shindig."

I really _hadn't_ missed much. I already trained for football before leaving, I disliked being the fifth wheel when we all hung out, and Newton's "end of summer" party was repetitive. Every year we would play volleyball until the sun set, drink from kegs, and make out with girls by the light and warmth of the driftwood bonfire.

"Sounded like a nice, relaxing summer." I replied appreciatively. I took out my schedule. "Let's see what we've got."

Emmett, Jasper and I compared schedules to discover that I had Calculus/Trig and Government with Jasper, English with both of them, and Gym and Spanish with Emmett.

"Looks good," I said, sharing a grin with them.

"Biology II, huh? Looks like someone's a smartass." Emmett joked, nudging me.

"Well someone has to be the brains of this group." I retorted, though I knew full well that Emmett was not the dumb jock he was often portrayed to be. Yes he wanted a football scholarship, but I knew he also wanted to get into chemical engineering after high school.

"And that would be you?" Rosalie inquired, raising an eyebrow.

I chuckled. "Why yes, dear Rosie, it would be." I replied smarmily.

She flipped me the bird, making the rest of us laugh.

"So how was Turks and Caicos?" Alice piped up, looking excited. Her parents were taking her there for Spring Break.

"Amazing. It was nice to soak up the sun's rays. Stay at the Amanyara; it's possibly the most beautiful resort I've ever seen." I told her, remembering the beautiful villas and sandy beaches.

"Yay! I'll definitely tell my parents." She replied, hugging Jasper contently. Was he tagging along?

As we continued walking down the hall, I roughly bumped into someone. I heard something hit the floor and turned around to see Isabella Swan standing there, staring at her books, which were scattered on the ground in front of her. She looked annoyed and lost in thought. I looked at her in concern.

From what I amassed, Isabella Swan was a very plain-looking, quiet girl who mostly kept to herself. She often swathed herself in plain, baggy clothing and she hardly even spoke. Her friend count was next to none, and you could often find her with her nose buried in a book in the library, where she happened to spend all of her lunch periods.

I'd had a few classes with her in the past, but I'd never really spoken with her before. After all, we ran in different circles and came from different social levels. Since Forks is a small town where everyone gossiped, I knew that she lived in a small house with her father, Charlie Swan, the Police Chief of Forks. And from what I'd heard, her mother ran out on them when Isabella was just four years old.

"Hey man! How's it going? You ready for senior football tryouts?" Another footballer- this time, Tyler Crowley- asked me as he passed by. I nodded my head absently. Looking at Isabella just standing there, I realized that I should make sure she was okay.

I tapped on her arm, as she was still lost in thought. She stared up at me; her dark eyebrows were slightly creased. I was surprised when I recognized that she had gone on vacation during the summer; her usual alabaster skin was a very light golden colour and her long, dark brown hair had lighter hints of chestnut and red in it.

I expected her to be the kind of girl to never stray out of Forks.

Her deep eyes analyzed me very carefully, making me slightly uncomfortable. As I took a second to stare back at her, I realized that she was prettier than I had comprehended.

Her eyes were a rich, light chocolate colour and had a captivating depth to them. Her heart-shaped face was smooth and unblemished, and her lips were full and slightly pouty. Her nose was thin and straight, and her cheekbones prominent. As far as I could tell she was quite slender but not athletically built. Her skin was cream and roses in contrast to her dark hair and clothing.

"Are you alright?" I asked her, concerned.

Her distracted gaze traveled from my lips to my eyes. "Sorry?" She asked softly, shaking her head as if coming out of a daze. Her eyebrows creased further in confusion. I wanted to smoothen out her forehead.

"I was asking if you're alright." I said, probing her eyes. She was rather endearing. "I knocked into your shoulder pretty hard."

Isabella looked at me in shock. "I'm fine." She muttered, a blush colouring her cheeks. She picked up her books and avoided my eyes.

I shocked myself when I took her timetable out of her hand. I scanned the sheet to find that she had Biology II with me after lunch. "Hey, it looks as though we have Biology II with Banner together." I told her.

She didn't seem too excited as she took her sheet back and simply replied 'great' in a mildly disinterested (but prettily melodic) voice. I was surprised. I had hardly ever spoken to her, and it seemed as though she didn't like me already.

I smiled my 'special' smile at her, hoping to somewhat dazzle her. "Well, I hope you'll save me a seat." I said, looking into her perplexed chocolate-coloured eyes.

"Right." She simply muttered back, closing herself off from me. I tried my best not to frown. What was it about me that she didn't like if she hardly knew me?

"See you after lunch, _Bella_." I bid her, knowing she preferred it when people called her that. I winked at her before heading in the direction of my friends.

Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie were in the midst of a conversation, while Alice looked between Bella and myself weirdly. "Was that Isabella Swan?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah. I accidentally bumped into her pretty hard." I explained casually, wondering why Alice seemed to care.

"She got prettier over the summer, didn't she?" Alice replied, turning to look me in the eye. There was a glint of protectiveness in her eyes, as if she was warning me to keep my distance from Bella.

Instead of letting my confusion show, I nodded nonchalantly and joined the conversation going on beside us. _How curious._

~.x.~

It was time for lunch, and I couldn't help myself from looking forward to seeing Isabella Swan in Biology II. The way she acted this morning- as though she didn't like me, was _different_. She was like a challenge to me; and everyone at Forks High knew that Edward Cullen could not resist a challenge.

I noticed that she had made an appearance in the cafeteria for once, sitting at Mike Newton's table all the way across the caf. She looked disinterested but she was making idle chatter with Angela Weber, as far as I could tell.

Tanya redirected my attention as she sat down beside me. Now _she_ was not a challenge. Her attitude, maybe, but I knew I could have her any time that I wanted her. Tanya was rarely ever appealing to me anymore. Physically she had it all, but she was lacking elsewhere.

Maybe it was time to call back Samantha Wells. I looked across the table at her and caught her eyes. She raised an eyebrow at me interestedly and I winked. A few seconds later my phone vibrated in my pocket, and I knew we were on for tonight.

Tanya continued her mindless chatter about homecoming. I knew she wanted me to ask her, but I wasn't asking anyone to homecoming until I knew that I was on the football team for sure. I pondered the thought of asking someone else this year, but the thought was immediately discarded. Tanya and I had gone together for the past three years; there was no point in ditching her now.

I watched amusedly as Tyler Crowley and Lee Stephens tried to see who could swallow a hamburger whole. The usual crew of football guys came over, egging them on. Feeling eyes on the side of my face, I turned to see none other than Isabella Swan eyeing our table with slight distaste.

When our eyes met, her brown eyes widened like a deer caught in headlights. She was a fascinating creature, that's for sure. What about me didn't appeal to her? I looked away, and out of the corner of my eye I could see her visibly relax. So I had _some_ sort of affect on her, I realized contentedly.

~.x.~

After Biology II, I discovered that Bella was easy to irritate, sarcastic and disinterested in high school affairs. Almost every girl in our year tried out for the cheerleading squad or at least went to homecoming, but Bella looked repelled at the thought of either. She was intriguing to no end.

Even more intriguing was her wishing me good luck for football tryouts. She looked as though she really meant it. Was she finally warming up to me?

I don't know why, but I was in a good mood all throughout last period Spanish with Ms. Goff, who was less of a pain in the ass than usual. Emmett sat beside me, making the usual obscene jokes and acting the class clown.

As soon as it was time for football tryouts afterschool, I was pumped. The turnout was larger than usual this year, but that didn't faze me. We went through sprinting, kicking, throwing, catching and blocking drills. Emmett made for an easy quarterback, and everyone knew it. I was glad when I heard coach say that I was in talks for running back, and Jasper for wide receiver.

All throughout tryouts, I thought about Bella wishing me good luck, the sparkle in her bright brown eyes, the sincerity of her words.

"I don't know what it is Cullen, but you're doing better than ever on that field! Keep it up and you can expect to see your name on one of those jerseys!" Coach slapped me on the back proudly while we walked towards the locker room after tryouts.

I grinned as passing guys glared at me jealously.

"What are you on?" Emmett joked as he came out of the showers.

"As if I need to be _on something_ to be that good." I replied, towelling my hair so that it could dry easier.

"No, there's something different." Jasper drawled, looking at me carefully. "I don't think you're on anything," He said quickly, after seeing the look on my face. "But you seem different."

_Different?_ I looked at my two closest friends in confusion. "I have no idea what you're talking about." I responded dismissively, grabbing my duffel bag.

As we walked towards our cars in the parking lot, Jasper suddenly reached his arm out to stop me. "Who is she?" He asked, looking at me in astonishment as if he'd just had an epiphany. His curious hazel eyes scrutinized my face, unsettling me.

I smiled at him genially. "Jazz, you know me well. You know that I don't let girls into my head, and I don't hold even an ounce interest for any of the ridiculous girls in this school. I got extra practise this summer, and that's it. You and Emmett can make up tons of inane theories, but it comes down to the fact that I was well prepared for tryouts, and that's all."

"Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get home and eat something 'cause I'm starving." I finished, grinning at him. _Plus, Samantha Wells is probably waiting for me right now._

Jasper rolled his eyes, but grinned back. I knew his suspicion hadn't been completely dismissed, but discussion of the topic had.

Emmett spotted us from beside his car. "What's up?" He inquired, looking at us peculiarly.

"Nothing." I replied nonchalantly, opening the door of my silver Volvo, which was parked in between Emmett and Jasper's vehicles.

Emmett simply shrugged and hopped into his red jeep as Jasper got into his own black minivan. I slid into my car and waited as Jasper and Emmett drove away.

_Was Jasper right?_ Was something different about me? And what about his theory about me meeting a girl? The only girls I spoke to today (who are actually single) were Tanya and… Bella. But neither of them had any kind of an affect on me… Right?

I looked at myself in the rear-view mirror and chuckled, shaking my head dismissively. Right. Tanya was old news, and Bella was… _Bella is just another a girl._

I regretted the thought almost instantly. I took a deep breath and shifted into drive, pulling away from the school parking lot.

_Just one more year._ One more year and I could go far, far away from here. How about New York? Massachusetts? New Jersey? Chicago? I focused on happy thoughts of leaving as I drove down the overcast, forest-lined streets of Forks, relieved that my time here would soon come to an end.

~.x.~

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**So... My first actual chapter. What did you think?  
**

**Reviewing is greatly appreciated and again, completely up to you! By the way, if you t****ake a gander at my profile you'll find story updates and information.  
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**Laters, **

**Natasha. ;)**


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